Lamp socket with insulation piercing contacts



Aug. 13, 1968 J. :.:='u1 sv 3,397,379

LAMP SOCKET WITH INSULATION PIERCING CONTACTS Filed July 5, 1.966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. T AN GOMA P010 /12m MA,

Aug. 68 J. c. PUIG 3,397,379

LAMP SOCKET WITH INSULATION PIERCING CONTACTS Filed July 5, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 6 Claims. or. 339-99 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lamp socket having structure for making electrical connections between inner contacts and outer conductors. The socket has a housing having .a lamp-receiving interior where the contacts are located, and these contacts are connected with electrically conductive piercing members which extend through and beyond a transverse housing wall, these piercing members terminating outwardly beyond the housing wall in a pair of toothed free ends. A projection extending from the transverse housing wall is formed with passages through which conductors extend across the toothed ends of the piercing members, and a pressing structure is carried by the projection and presses the conductors across and against the toothed free ends of the piercing members so that the latter will pierce through insulation of the conductors and form electrical connections therewith.

The present invention relates to lamp sockets.

In particular, the present invention relates to lamp socket structure for providing electrical connections between a pair of conductors and contacts of the lamp socket which engage a lamp carried thereby so that the conductors will be electrically connected with the lamp.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a lamp socket structure of this type which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lamp socket structure which makes it very easy to provide the electrical connections between the conductors and the contacts for the lamp, the structure of the invention requiring no screws, springs, or intermediate components which are likely to be damaged, and in addition requiring no tools for the purpose of connecting the conductors to the socket.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a structure of the above type which enables the conductors to be connected to the socket in an extremely short pe riod of time, requiring no more than a few seconds.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure which will connect the conductors to the socket in a manner Which will reliably prevent any accidents and which will also reliably prevent any possibility of short-circuiting.

The objects of the present invention also include the provision of a lamp socket structure which will reliably connect the conductors thereto in such a way that separation of the conductors from the socket is reliably prevented.

It is furthermore an object of the present invention to provide a lamp socket structure which will guarantee proper electrical connection of the conductors with the lamp contacts.

Primarily the structure of the invention includes a housing of electrically non-conductive material having a hollow interior and formed at one end with an opening communicating with the hollow interior and through which the lamp is adapted to be introduced into the housing to be carried thereby. This lamp socket housing of the invention has at the end of its hollow interior distant from ice the above opening a transverse wall formed with a pair of openings passing therethrough, and this transverse wall of the housing carries a projection which extends away from the hollow interior of the housing. The projection has an outer surface portion and is formed with a passage means extending from the outer surface portion of the projection through the latter and terminating in a pair of openings which are respectively situated adjacent the pair of openings which pass through the transverse Wall of the housing, so that a pair of conductors can extend through this passage means respectively beyond the openings thereof to the regions of the openings of the transverse wall of the housing. The housing carries in its hollow interior a pair of contacts for a lamp which is to be introduced into the housing, and a pair of electrically conductive piercing members are also carried by the housing in electrical engagement with the contacts and respectively extending through and beyond the openings of the transverse wall. Beyond these openings of the transverse wall the pair of piercing members terminate in the region of the openings of the passage means in a pair of toothed ends which are respectively adapted to pierce through the insulation of the conductors to engage th inner conductive portions thereof, so as to provide the electrical connection between the conductors and the contacts. A pressing means is carried by the projection of the lamp housing for pressing the conductors against the toothed ends of the piercing members.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a lamp socket constructed in accordance with the present invention, the parts being shown in FIG. 1 in the position they take just before the parts are assembled to provide the electrical connection between the conductors and the lamp contacts; and

FIG. 2 shows the parts of FIG. 1, also in a longitudinal sectional view, in the position they take after the parts have been assembled.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that the socket illustrated therein includes a housing 2 made Of an electrically non-conductive material and having an open end communicating with a hollow interior of the housing 2, this open end being shown at the bottom of the housing, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2. Within its hollow interior the housing 2 carries a lamp contact 1 in the formof a metal sleeve or ferrule which is adapted to threadedly carry the lamp whose threaded base can be threaded into the contact 1 so as to form an electrical connection therewith. This tubular contact 1 has flanges 3 embedded within a transverse wall of the housing 2 so as to be fixedly connected therewith, and this transverse wall of the housing 2 is situated at the end of the hollow interior thereof which is distant from the Opening through which the lamp is introduced into the housing. The housing 2 is provided with an integral projection 4 which extends along the central axis of the housing and terminates in an outer end face which is directed away from the hollow interior of the housing and which is shown at the upper end of the housing 2, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The transverse wall of the housing 2 has an outer annular surface 5 which surrounds the projection 4, and the transverse wall of the housing 2 is formed with an pair of diametrically opposed openings 6 which pass through the transverse wall so as to terminate at the outer surface 5 thereof as well as to communicate with th hollow interior of the housing 2.

The second contact which is carried by the housing 2 in its hollow interior is formed by the head end 16 of a screw 14 which is centrally threaded into the transverse wall of the housing 2 in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and this contact 16 is of course suitably insulated from the contact 1. A pair of piercing members 7 are respectively connected electrically with the contacts 1 and 16 and extend therefrom respectively through and beyond the openings 6 of the transverse wall of the housing 2. Thus, the right piercing member 7 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is fixed, in any suitable way as 'by soldering, for example, to the contact 1 and extends therefrom through the right openings 6 of FIGS. 1 and 2, while the left piercing member 7 has an inner end formed with an opening through which the screw 14 passes so that the contact end 16 of the screw 14 directly presses against the left piercing member 7 of FIGS. 1 and 2. These piercing members 7 respectively terminate beyond the outer surface 5 of the transverse wall of the housing 2 in a pair of toothed ends -8. Each piercing member 7 is in the form of a blade having a pair of opposed side edges and the toothed end of each blade includes a plurality of teeth arranged in a row extending between the side edges of the blade, these teeth 8 of course being directed away from the surface 5.

A pair of insulated conductors 9 are respectively adapted to pass through the projection 4 in such a way that free end portions of the conductors 9 extend across the toothed ends 8 of the piercing members 7 in the manner shown in the drawings. For this purpose the projection 4 is formed with a passage means 10 extending from the outer surface of the projection 4 at its end face directed away from the hollow interior of the housing 2 through the projection 4 and having a pair of branches which respectively terminate in open ends situated at opposed side surface portions of the projection 4 in the region of the openings 6, respectively. In this way the pair of conductors 9 are respectively adapted to pass through the curved branches of the passage means 10 outwardly beyond the pair of openings of the passage means situated at the opposed side surface portions of the projection 4, and thus the conductors 9 will be reliably situated in their proper positions with respect to the toothed ends 8 of the piercing members 7.

The projection 4 has an outer threaded surface, and the socket of the invention is completed by a pressing means 11 which is adapted to be threaded onto the projection 4. This pressing means 11 is in the form of a sleeve having inner threads to cooperate with the outer threads of the projection 4 so that the sleeve can be threaded onto the projection 4 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. The sleeve or pressing means 11 has an inner annular surface 12 which is directed toward the outer surface 5 of the transverse wall of the housing 2 and which forms a pressing surface for engaging the free ends of the conductors 9 and pressing them against the toothed ends 8 f the piercing members 7. Thus, as the pressing means 11 is threaded onto the projection 4, the pressing surface 12 will engage the ends of the conductors 9 and will press them onto the toothed ends 8 of the piercing memher 7 so that these toothed ends will pierce through the insulation of the conductors into engagement with the inner conductive portions thereof, and the parts are shown in this position in FIG. 2.

The pressing means 11 includes a tubular extension 15 which extends across the outer surface of the transverse wall as well as across the transverse wall itself and which slidably engages and surrounds the housing 2 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. In this way the surfaces 5 and 12 as well as the extension 15 and the outer surface portion of the projection 4 in the region of the surface 5 define a hollow annular space in which the free ends of the con ductor-s 9 and the toothed ends of the piercing members 7 are situated in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The projection 4 is formed at its diametrically opposed surface portions where the openings at the end of the passage means are situated with a pair of axially extending grooves 10a respectively extending from the latter openings toward and, in fact up to the surface 5, so that during pressing of the conductors 9 against the toothed ends 8 of the piercing members 7 by the pressing surface 12 of the pressing means 11 the conductors 9 can be deflected into the grooves 10a, thus reliably preventing any likelihood of shearing of the conductors.

Because the passage means 10 directs the conductors 9 transversely across the toothed ends 8 of the piercing members 7, these toothed ends which can be obliquely arranged with respect to the conductors will have more than one of the points thereof pressed into engagement with the inner conductive portions of the conductors, so as to guarantee, because of this orientation of the conductors with respect to the piercing members, a highly efficient electrical connection between the conductors 9 and the piercing members 7 which of course serve to provide the electrical connections between the conductors and the contacts 1 and 16. The contact 1 is of course made of metal so as to be capable of withstanding the heat of the lamp without becoming deformed.

The piercing members 7 are made of a metal Which can be provided with relatively sharp teeth 8 capable of easily piercing through the insulation of the conductors, and it is to be noted that the particular conductors 9 have a considerable play in the passage means 10 which can thus accommodate conductors which differ widely in their outer diameters so that in this way the lamp socket of the invention can accommodate a wide range of conductor sizes. It is furthermore to be noted that with the structure of the invention not only are good electrical connections provided but in addition the conductors 9 are very securely attached to the socket in a manner which will reliably prevent separation of the conductors 9 from the socket by accident, for example. The entire assembly requires but a few seconds, the steps being only the passing of the conductors 9 through the pressing means 11 and the passage means 10 to the position shown in FIG. 1 after which it i only necessary to thread the pressing means 11 onto the projection 4, so as to complete the assembly, thus providing the structure illustrated in FIG. 2.

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp socket comprising a housing of electrically non-conductive material having a hollow interior and formed at one end with an opening communicating with said hollow interior of said housing and through which a lamp is adapted to be introduced into said housing, said housing having a transverse wall at the end of said hollow interior thereof distant from said opening and said wall being formed with a pair of openings passing therethrough, said housing having a projection extending from said transverse wall thereof at the exterior of said housing away from said hollow interior thereof, and said projection having an outer surface portion and being formed with a passage means extending from said outer surface portion thereof through said projection and terminating in a pair of openings which are respectively situated adjacent said openings of said transverse wall, a pair of contacts carried by said housing in said hollow interior thereof for forming electrical connections with a lamp carried by said housing, a pair of electrically conductive piercing members respectively engaging and communicating electrically with said contacts and respectively extending therefrom through said openings of said transverse wall and respectively having toothed end portions extending beyond said openings of said transverse wall to the region of said pair of openings of said passage means, so that a pair of insulated conductors can extend from said outer surface portion of said projection through said passage means respectively beyond said openings thereof to the immediate vicinity of said toothed ends of said piercing members, and pressing means carried by said projection for pressing portions of conductors which extend beyond said openings of said passage means against said toothed ends of said piercing members, re-

spectively, with said toothed ends piercing through the insulation of said conductors and engaging the conductive portions thereof so as to provide electrical connections from said contacts through said piercing members respectively to said conductors, said transverse wall of said housing having an outer surface directed away from the interior of said housing and situated outwardly beyond said projection, said openings of said transverse wall respectively terminating at said outer surface thereof and said pressing means being in the form of a sleeve carried by said projection and having a pressing surface directed toward said outer surface of said transverse wall and engaging the conductors for pressing the latter against said toothed ends of said piercing members.

2. A lamp socket as recited in claim 1 and wherein said sleeve is threaded onto said projection.

3. A lamp socket as recited in claim 1 and wherein said sleeve has a tubular extension extending across and beyond said outer surface of said transverse wall and slidably engaging the exterior of said housing, so that said sleeve together with said tubular extension thereof and said outer surface of said transverse Wall as well as said pressing surface of said sleeve define a space surrounding said projection and in which ends of a pair of conductors are adapted to be situated with the toothed ends of said piercing members piercing through the insulation of the conductors into engagement with the conductive portions thereof.

4. A lamp socket comprising a housing of electrically non-conductive material having a hollow interior and formed at one end with an opening communicating with said hollow interior of said housing and through which a lamp is adapted to be introduced into said housing, said housing having a transverse wall at the end of said hollow interior thereof distant from said opening and said wall being formed with a pair of openings passing therethrough, said housing having a projection extending from said transverse wall thereof at the exterior of said housing away from said hollow interior thereof, and said projection having an outer surface partion and being formed with a passage means extending from said outer surface portion thereof through said projection and terminating in a pair of openings which are respectively situated adjacent said openings of said transverse wall, a pair of con tacts carried by said housing in said hollow interior thereof for forming electrical connections with a lamp carried by said housing, a pair of electrically conductive piercing members respectively engaging and communicating electrically with said contacts and respectively extending therefrom through said openings of said transverse wall and respectively having toothed end portions extending beyond said openings of said transverse wall to the region of said pair of openings of said passage means, so that a pair of insulated conductors can extend from said outer surface portion of said projection through said passage means respectively beyond said openings thereof to the immediate vicinity of said toothed ends of said piercing members, and pressing means carried by said projection for pressing portions of conductors which extend beyond said openings of said passage means against said toothed ends of said piercing members, respectively, with said toothed ends piercing through the insulation of said conductors and engaging the conductive portions thereof so as to provide electrical connections from said contacts through said piercing members respectively to said conductors, said housing having a predetermined central axis along which said projection extends and said projection having a pair of opposed outer surface portions respectively situated at diametrically opposed positions with respect to said axis and said openings of said passage means being situated at said surface portions of said projection, said transverse wall of said housing having an outer surface directed away from the interior of said housing and said pair of openings of said transverse wall respectively terminating at said outer surface thereof in the region of said openings of said passage means, said projection being formed in its outer surface with a pair of axially extending grooves extending from said openings of said passage means toward said transverse wall of said housing, and said pressing means pressing conductors from said openings of said passage means toward said transverse wall into engagement with the toothed ends of the piercing members, respectively, so that the conductors can be deflected into said grooves, respectively, during pressing of said conductors against said toothed ends of said piercing members, respectively.

5. A lamp socket as recited in claim 4 and wherein said pressing means is in the form of a sleeve threaded onto said projection and having an inner pressing surface directed toward said outer surface of said transverse wall and engaging said conductors to press the latter against the toothed ends of the piercing members, said sleeve having a tubular extension extending across said transverse wall and slidably engaging the exterior of said housing.

6. A lamp socket as recited in claim 5 and wherein said projection has an outer end face directed away from the hollow interior of said housing and provided with said outer surface portion from which said passage means extends to said pair of openings thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,050,440 8/1936 McFadden 339 2,245,194 6/1941 Hollander 33999 2,739,291 3/1956 Frankel 339-99 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

I. H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner. 

